UMECUnited Mining Exploration Commission: A group of friends playing JumpGate-- "a MMORPG that launched smoothly, breaks from fantasy character setting, emphasizes PvP, and is the first persistent world space simulator that nobody talks about." ~Scorch

Privateer One
I played for ages...just a wonderful game. (i had to stop playing because the need for multiplayer was a sucking chest wound)

remember the trading options? gods! there was dozens of stuff:

Not to mention the NPCs and the "factions"

Quote:

PIRATES
Pirates, the most common and most widespread threat in the Gemini Sector. Pirates operate out of three hidden bases in Gemini that are nearer to the major systems than most people would think. Two are four jumps from major systems and one, the most isolated (and productive) is five jumps away from a major system. It's a good idea to steer clear of these bases, as they are all surrounded by asteroids and always have four or five talons circling the base. If you really want to make money though, these bases supply some the most desired goods in the sector. All pirate produced goods are illegal except for plaything magazine. Piracy, which was considered an ancient sixteenth and seventeenth century practice has once again become extremely profitable because of sparse patrols and the fact that Gemini is so vast. Pirates fly talons and are actually pretty good pilots. Becoming a pirate is quite profitable as you can become allied with one of the largest and most powerful groups in Gemini. Pirates have gained control of almost all of the Fariss Quadrant and operate out of abandoned mining bases. It is known that two of the three pirate bases are located in Fariss, with the other most probably located somewhere in Humboldt.

Pirates are very numerous and you will encounter them almost every mission. They usually travel in groups of three or four and their main targets are large merchant ships such as the Drayman. They blow up the cargo ship and tractor in the cargo that was blown clear in the explosion, they then sell the goods at the closest base for pure profit. Very lucrative business piracy.

RETROS
The Church of Man or "Retros" as they are more commonly known, is the one of the most hated groups in Gemini. In fact, the only other group known to fly in Gemini that ranks equal to them on the "hate-o-meter" are the Kilrathi. Retros are a group of fanatical zealots who hate all technology and have resolved to use it against humanity to eliminate all who don't "believe". Retros have a base somewhere in Gemini although the location of it is currently unknown. They fly talons and are not afraid to die for their god, indeed they have been seen flying kamikazie missions against confed cap ships. They are fanatics, willing to ram you, killing themselves and taking you with them. Retros usually travel in groups of three or four, and consist of mostly outcasts of society who think that they are important now that they are Retros. They can't fly for crap and are a lot easier to kill than pirates. Retros are encoutered all over Gemini although they aren't nearly as common as pirates.

There is a rumored "death list" that the Retros have compiled that lists the ten people that the Retros want dead the most. One known man on this list is Hunter Toth who wrote the book "Prometheus Unplugged" which labeled the Retros as backwards for their hatred of technology, indeed he coined the term "Retro" and we know that he has to be their most wanted man at this time. If you ever encounter Retros, you can either fight or run. Retros will not run, surrender, or stop to pick up cargo, so know that if you are attacked and are alone, you're in big trouble.

KILRATHI
The Empire of Kilrah which was unified only two hundred years ago is now strongly organized around a powerful heirachy that conrols the whole Kilrathi war effort, an effort which has, unfortunately, begun to swing in their favor. The Kilrathi are a society obsessed with honor, death, and the destruction of the "terrans". Kilrathi are orginised into two classes, Thrak'hra, which are highborn kilrathi (nobles), and Kilrah'hra, which are lowborn kilrathi (common folk). The Thrak'hra are the only kilrathi allowed to pilot fighters or attain any high rank. The Kilrah'hra are the laborers of society and obey orders from their lords without hesitation. The supreme ruler of all the kilrathi is the emporer who has supreme power and can do whatever whenever and wherever he wants. Prince Thrakath, heir to Kilrah, is the one who organizes the military and his hrai (blood relatives) control all the different clans of Kilrah. In Gemini the Kilrathi have a military presence, but that presence is being lessend somewhat by the increased Confed patrols. The Kilrathi have been eliminated from all the quadrants in Gemini except for Clarke. Here the Kilrathi seek to destroy anything that they can. They think that Terrans do not deserve to live and kill any and all terrans they come across. One of their weaknesses is that they think that no human can defeat them and this makes them a bit careless in the cockpit. Ocassionally they will run across a hunter in an upgraded Centurion and go head on with him, this is usually disasterous for the Kilrathi. With this said the Kilrathi are an extremely dangerous foe and unless you are a crack ace, I wouldn't recommend on taking on more than two at a time.

BOUNTY HUNTERS
Bounty Hunters are the bullies of the Gemini sector. They are constantly on the prowl for some wanted criminal. They are civilians who consider themselves to be better than everyone else. They will attack you even if you only have five or six merchant, confed, hunter,or militia kills, even if you were supposed to kill them in a mission you took. Hunters think of no one but themselves and believe, like Kilrathi, that they can't be beaten. This is one of their weaknesses. They always seem to go head on with whoever they're fighting not heeding their monitiors that tell them that this ship is a lot better equipped than theirs or that they're going head on with a destroyer. I've seen hunters blindly charge into a group of four or five pirates and be blown to bits even though he managed to get one or two of the little buggers. Try to use this carelessness to your advantage if you piss a hunter off. Bounty Hunters fly Demons, Centurions, and Orions. They are usually found on the major space lanes and in the main systems. Hunters are great to have around when hostiles attack, but they are really annoying with their comments about how they can handle themselves when their diagnostic shows heavy damage. It is Bounty Hunters who are responsible for the Palan Blockade, keeping the population without much needed supplies. Even though Hunters are generally disliked throughout the Sector, they make up for the shortage of military and you have to admit some of them are really good pilots.

MILITIA
The Militia are a group of pilots that work for the Confederation. Militia are paid by whatever system they are sent to patrol. They fly the talon and the gladius and are better pilots than the pirates. Militia search civilian ships passing through their system and destroy any ship carrying contraband. Just like Confed patrols, there is a shortage of Militia patrols in Gemini. The Militia are competent wingmen who will not hesitate to go after a ship regardless of its size. In a dogfight, Militia pilots are easy to get confused with pirates or retros if the Militia are flying talons. The best remedy for this is to buy a color scanner. Militia usually travel in groups of three and can be found anywhere in the sector. If you get caught carrying contraband by the Militia, you shouldn't have too much of a problem handling them. A few well placed shots will disable most Militia fighters, although the Militia seem to know exactly how to make use of the talon's particle cannon.

CONFEDERATION
The Terran Confederation sends out dozens of patrols every day to locate and eliminate Pirate, Retro, and Kilrathi threats. Confed patrols systems at random so you never know when you'll run into a patrol. Confed will also scan civilian vessels from time to time. Any ship carrying contrband is destroyed on site so don't get caught doing it. If you get caught with contraband you can either run or fight, but they are hard to kill. Confed patrols are most frequently encountered in the major systems such as New Detroit, New Constantinople, and are always encountered in Perry. Although Confed patrols can be a real pain for a brilliance runner, they are neccesary to the Gemini Sector. Confed established a strong military presence thirty years ago and now that Admiral Terrell is in command, Confed has begun to drive the Kilrathi back into their own space. Even though the Kilrathi are a major threat, Confed is winning the war in this sector. The Confed forces of Gemini are based in Perry at Perry Naval Base. This superbase holds over a thousand fighters and has been a vital strongpoint in Gemini.

MERCHANTS
Merchants are one of the most vital organizations in the sector. Without them there would be a severe shortage of supplies all over the sector. Merchants are civilians who transport cargo from base to base, making a good profit as they go. The cargo they transport is the kind in high demand such as plutonium to a refinery or brilliance to a pleasure planet. Merchants are in constant danger from pirates, retros, kilrathi, or the authorities if their cargo is illegal. This is why pirates and retros have become such a major problem. Merchants are usually all members of the "Merchants Guild" and are under the protection of the Guild. This is also where they get their missions. The guild gaurauntees payment which is a must when you could get shot at any time while en-route to a base. If you decide to become a merchant, the first thing you should do is to sign up with the merchants guild. The cost is only 1,000 credits a year and the guild is the only place to get really good missions, and if at all possible, get two or three cargo missions to the same planet at once to make a big profit. Don't just take the mission cargo, load up on whatever you can afford that will turn a profit where you're going. You really have to be a penny pincher to be a merchant, but it's a steady income if you can manage to stay alive.

Last edited by Muffy on Sat Oct 19, 2002 1:33 pm; edited 2 times in total

the thing that was most different with privateer that on had an enormous cargo hold compared to the n00b ships of JG.

Your starting ship in Privateer was the Tarsus that had 100 cargo (the thing was that this was the average...with lowest being 50. highest being 225)

though economy of scale dictates that JG's smaller hold and better pricings might balance this...i've yet to confirm this being the case
(since that site allows a download of privateer1 i'm dying to test out my theory)

AND THIS TIME I'VE A COLOR MONITOR!!!
of course, i'll need to drag up a detailed economy listing chart from some fan site still out there somewhere...muhahaa
First walkthrough siteSecond walkthrough site
with a very nice walkthrough...

Quote:

COMMODITY TRADING

One of the most often asked questions in Privateer is "how do I make money"? Two ways... "Buy low, sell high", and "take on missions". Let us analyze the markets, and see what kind of stuff is available to buy low and sell high. There are FIVE kinds of bases: agricultural, mining, pleasure, pirate, and refinery. There are also four "special" bases: New Constantinople, New Detroit, Oxford, and Perry Naval Base, for a total of NINE different bases. Look at the list below and figure out what makes money... And create your own "trade route".

MINING BASE
Produces iron, uranium, and other metals
Buys contraband, plastics, mining equipment, food dispenser, home appliance, and so on. If you can find a good route between mining and refinery, you can make a bit of money, but usually these routes go by pirate
systems and such.

PIRATE BASE
Produces contraband (Brilliance, slaves, Ultimate, tobacco, and so on). Buys just about everything, but likes food dispensers and holographic equipment. If you want to be a smuggler, find a pirate base you can get to is a must, as it's your only access to contraband stuff.

REFINERY BASE
Takes all those ores and such, makes them into finished products, like plastics, home appliances, construction equipment, and so on. Buys ores, wood, (whatever raw material) and of course, contraband. If you can find a good route between mining and refinery, you can make a bit of money, but usually these routes go by pirate
systems and such.

NEW CONSTANTINOPLE
The only thing NC produces that sells well is art (and only on pleasure planets) NC is one of the few places that will NOT buy contraband, though you may get special fixer missions that need you to deliver
contraband here.

6.7 NEW DETROIT
New Detroit is essentially a huge refinery. They make finished products. They buy contraband and lots of food, ores, and other raw materials. If you can find a good route between mining and ND/refinery, you can make a bit of money, but usually these routes go by pirate systems and such.

6.8 OXFORD
Oxford is mainly an agricultural planet but also export books. They buy the same agriculture related stuff, like Plastics, Food dispensers, and so on. Oxford does NOT buy contraband.

Like I always say Muffy, all JG needs is pleasure borgs, brilliance and hell lot more roids (try docking at a pirate base under fire. :smile: ) and it'll be the most uber game to grace this planet. :smile:

TarsusOrionGalaxyCenturion
Thinking of playing the game again just to get a feel for the economic system and how long before one can buy a better ship. (for JG comparison; especially cargo size and ratios like that)

Also got into the mood for playing privateer2 (gonna find a proggie tht slows down the cpu time. darned ship combat no fun without it)...BTW, the intro movie for P2 is awesome for storyline inspiration, especially for background info.

think i'll go see if an gamearchive site has it. will let you know...can't find it, but i did find the Privateer2 advertisement

"Michael J. Solomon" <mikesol@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:9886tuorm5dunlmfhekajmr3c4p23b5jnr@4ax.com...
> I am looking for a Privateer type game. Privateer was an old DOS game
> from Origin where I could customize my ship and go on missions of my
> choosing. I am _not_ interested in a Wing Commander type game where
> missions and ship type are predetermined. Please let me know of any
> games you can think of that are more like Privateer and less like Wing
> Commander. Thank you.

Most of these offer some combination of scripted missions
and random flying about, exploring, or doing trade runs. BCM
is a bit unusual in that it follows the open-ended gameplay
model but has you commanding a large military starship plus
an assortment of support craft.

found a link to the demo of Xbtf: ftp://ftp.pczone.co.uk/pub/pczone/download/gamedemo3/33646_x_eng.exe
should be a playable demo of the us-release (some patches ahead of the first release in eu) but i didnt download it..._________________me-777
_________________
Noir
The famous name whose origin traces back to death
Two maidens that control death
Black hands in fields of green
Please protect the peace